ÅLAND - Employment
The employment structure of the archipelago shows that the share of the primary sector in the total employment is 5.5% (2001) The share of the secondary sector is 16.3% and the same figure for the tertiary sector is about 75%. During the 1995-2001 period, manufacturing industry is the only sector for which the share increased.
The most important segments of the service sector are transport (shipping), storage and communication as well as wholesale and retail trade. Trade, financial services and public services constitute the prime employers of women. Men, on the other hand, work mainly in the transportation sector. The latter is a significantly bigger employer in Åland than it is in Finland generally.
The labour market in Åland is seasonal. Due to the large number of tourists visiting Åland in the summer, service industries are commonly dependent upon external labour during the peak season.
A decreasing number of Ålanders earns a living from the traditional island occupations: fishing and agriculture. Manufacturing employs a rising number of people, and represented 60% of the employment in the secondary sector in 2001. The most important manufacturing industries in Åland are food- and fish-processing.
Today, 85% of the Ålanders are wage-earners.
High household income level
Åland's salary level is above the Finnish average. An employee earned an average of approx. EUR 30,000 in 2002.
The income level of households is more above the average for Finland than that of wage-earners. Households' earned income, in particular, is above that of Finns as a whole.
Food and clothing account for a smaller proportion of the expenditure of Åland households than they do for Finland as a whole. Recreational and culture expenses are also below average. The consumption structure of Åland is exceptional in that housing and transport represent a considerably higher share of consumption than food. A fifth of consumer spending goes on food and a quarter each on transport and housing.
Near full employment
The employment situation has been positive in Åland after the economic down swing in the beginning of the 1990's. The labour market has expanded. The number of employed has increased rapidly and the unemployment rate has been low (2,2% 2003). Long-term unemployment is almost nil and unemployment is usually very low in the summertime (typically around 1,5%). The level of unemployment tends to be higher among men than women.
The business and industrial structure of the archipelago is on a sound basis and is not so dependent on general economic trends as are the neighbouring Finnish and Swedish economies. Ålanders have a long history of entrepreneurship and of work in the subsistence occupations typical of islands.
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